Sea Gate police officers call for pay raise

The special police force in Coney Island?s Sea Gate community says its responsibilities have grown over the years but its pay hasn?t.

The Sea Gate Police Department has served the nearly 1,000 homes of the private community since 1899.

Like NYPD officers, Sea Gate officers say they make arrests for burglaries, felonies and weapons possession. However, they say they earn about half the money NYPD officers do.

The officers are calling for an increase of $2 an hour with an additional raise of a dollar per hour each year.

Some residents agreed that the officers deserve to make more money for the important work they do.

The officers? union leaders say their requests for an increase has been met with threats to replace the officers on the force. They say they want to sit down at the negotiation table with the Sea Gate Community Board.